OK now that we know when the SEC on CBS ends, do we…Celebrate? Honour? Demonize?

So now we know.  CBS has decided not to renew the SEC on CBS contract after the 2023 season.  That came quicker than anyone thought it would.  They keep saying they are “going in a different direction with their sports coverage” but that translates to “it would cost too much fucking money.”  I don’t fully blame them despite the fact it’s a massive property and one of the most important contracts in sports today.  CBS offered $300 million per season and I guess that wasn’t enough.  Jesus.  Instead we will get the SEC probably going full-time back to ESPN.  While I am not looking forward to that it does mean we will get at least one SEC game in the ABC primetime slot which is good, even if it lessens the Big Ten’s stranglehold on the timeslot.

Alright the SEC on CBS will be done soon.  So what do we do know?  Do you celebrate the likes of Verne Lundquist calling games on the network and becoming a shoo-in for college football announcing’s Mount Rushmore?  Do we honour some of the better names there like Verne’s replacement, Brad Nessler (another Rushmore possibility), Brent Musburger, Sean McDonough and, for like one season, Jim Nantz?  Do we demonize them for foisting full seasons of Gary Danielson on us?  Or worse, hate them for giving us even one single season of Craig James?  You can think a lot of things about the SEC on CBS but we have to agree it’s must-see viewing every week for college football fans, even if you mute the TV.

But that’s the future.  Let’s focus on this season, whatever it may end up looking like.  I know I am a little late starting these network-specific posts and part of it is because life gets in the way and part of it is I honestly don’t know what will happen with the 2020 college football season.  The disclaimer has a change this year: there are no games confirmed that I could see so all of these are very educated guesses.  My choices are based on mostly logic.  Some teams will be better than advertised and some will be worse: that’s the nature of the sport.  So please don’t take this as gospel or say “Bossman is fucking awesome so why would he be wrong on this?”  First of all, thank you for understanding my awesomeness.  And secondly, I don’t guarantee anything here.  So let’s just get to the darn schedule of the conference that just means more on the network that is an eyeball (along with a few other games that will stand out like the one penne that always seems to get in the bag of fusilli):

September 5th		Colorado at Colorado State		3:30 PM
September 12th		Boise State at Air Force		3:30 PM
September 19th		Georgia at Alabama		3:30 PM
September 26th		Florida at Tennessee		3:30 PM
October 3rd		Texas A&M at Mississippi State		Noon
October 3rd		Alabama at Ole Miss		3:30 PM
October 10th		LSU at Florida		3:30 PM
October 17th		Texas A&M at Auburn		3:30 PM
October 24th		Mississippi State at LSU		3:30 PM
October 31st		Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)		3:30 PM
November 7th		Alabama at LSU		3:30 PM
November 14th		Tennessee at Georgia		3:30 PM
November 21st		Texas A&M at Alabama		3:30 PM
November 21st		LSU at Auburn		8:00 PM
November 27th		Arkansas at Missouri		2:30 PM
November 29th		Auburn at Alabama		3:30 PM
December 5th		SEC Championship Game		4:00 PM
December 12th		Army vs. Navy (in Philadelphia)		3:00 PM
December 31st		Sun Bowl		2:00 PM

Eyeball Network Deep South Football Conference Analysis:

• This should not be a surprise but here are the SEC on CBS appearances for each team:
  • 5 times – Alabama
  • 4 times – LSU
  • 3 times – Auburn, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia
  • 2 times – Mississippi State, Tennessee
  • 1 time – Arkansas, Ole Miss, Missouri
  • Not a single time – Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Kentucky
• I have three teams not getting an appearance: Vandy, the Cocks, and UK.  Vandy isn’t really a surprise since, other than maybe a Noon game on a week where CBS has two SEC picks, the Dores are not a big enough name to bring viewers to the network.  UK is also not as much of a surprise, especially since I see I have the Wildcats on ESPN quite often instead (so they aren’t stuck on the SEC Network like eight times).  South Carolina is the oddity here.  Even I am surprised I don’t have them there but really they are never in the biggest two games of the week: at any point.  The only time I can make that argument is the week CBS has two games.  Since it is a Noon game they get the first and fourth selection.  The second pick that week would be the South Carolina-Florida game which I have on ESPN.  So there.  Logic.
• Many will be surprised at Tennessee only appearing in two games.  Look, I agree with many that the Vols will be the best they’ve been in years.  And I think two appearances is pretty good considering that’s the most they were getting most of the last decade.  Could a third appearance be in the cards for the Volunteers?  Sure if they are looking like an SEC East contender into November.  But until they string together two or three good seasons together in a row, don’t expect them to feature on CBS much at all.
• The SEC Network, as always, gets at least their three games a week and ESPN/ESPN2 pick up the rest.  It’s a rarity but even ESPNU picks up the odd SEC game (especially non-conference ones).  And there’s really no need for it now that the SEC Network exists.  Also remember that CBS still has the exclusive window for the SEC so usually (USUALLY!) only the SEC Network will have other SEC games on at the same time (actually I think that’s in CBS’s contract).
• As for the non-SEC fare this year, here is where we find something new.  Army-Navy of course ends the regular season.  Navy is technically the host for Notre Dame but the game is in Dublin and during Week Zero.  And of course, the Sun Bowl, which will never change tie-ins because they illogical dolts that just want to continue to piss me off, is on New Year’s Eve.  When an ACC team is there facing a non-Arizona based team out of the Pac-12, you will struggle to fill the stadium, period.
• The new stuff comes from the Mountain West.  Yes, the Boise plus Eleven conference!  They have two games on the main network, as per the new contract they have with CBS, which will bring a nice change and might be a harbinger of what CBS plans to do after 2023.  Brad Nessler calling a Colorado State home game.  2020 still doing wacky things.

Next up will be the schedule for ABC.  Then FOX.  I should be a lot better at this one now that I have a good idea of how their schedule is structured, how they work around MLB playoff games, etc.  Then comes CBS Sports Network which normally is simple because most of the schedule is set but this year, yeah not so much.  Finally, TSN.  That should be interesting but I will give it my best go.  Remember, 2020 has put itself in a blender and crushed and cut and sliced and diced everything up and mixed it together so no one knows what the fuck is going on.  That includes college football.

64 days to go.  The countdown is on people…I hope.  Usually once it’s late July I get really ready for the season.  But with no pro sports yet (except for UFC and golf), who knows what will happen.  The CFL won’t start until Labour Day at the earliest.  The NFL says they will start on time but have already cancelled the Hall of Fame Game.  It’s more important for people to stay safe and healthy and move along SLOWLY towards the goal of the new normal.  Rushing things only causes another rise in cases so let’s not give in even though it is very difficult for many during these times (believe me, I know what some of you are going through).  Have a great weekend everyone!

PONY UP! – Week 6 College Football Recap

It’s like 1982 all over again!

If you don’t know much about the history of SMU and the Southwest Conference, then let’s take a trip down memory lane.  Back to the early to mid-80s.  The days of Eric Dickerson (who definitely didn’t know about any improprieties…sure), hooker killer Craig James and a merry band of insane boosters.  The days when the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University were the toast of the Southwest Conference (along with Texas of course).  Then came the NCAA and they came down hard on the school giving them the only football death penalty ever given.  What it did to the football program was catastrophic.  It has taken them over three decades to return to being a contender of sorts.  But it finally has come.  They came into their home game with Tulsa ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 1982.  So how did they start?  By going down 30-9 after three quarters to an average-at-best Golden Hurricane team.  Ouch.

Then one of the best comebacks in recent memory occurred.  The Mustangs scored three straight touchdowns to force overtime.  Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime.  Then SMU fumbled and Tulsa recovered.  All they had to do was get a field goal and they win.  Instead they fail to gain a yard and a kicker who had never kicked a field goal in a college football game missed just wide left to send the game to triple overtime.  There, Tulsa was stopped again and James Proche caught a Shane Buechele pass in the corner of the end zone for the TD and to finish the wild comeback.  Things are hopping in Dallas right now and there is some serious New Year’s Six chatter following this team.  Good to see a team who has struggled for decades finally put it all together.

As for the rest of the weekend it was…technically college football.  A couple more really good games but for the most part it wasn’t the greatest week of college football I have watched.  Closer to the worst to be honest.  Let’s get down to recapping all this shall we?

And now for the rest of the recap

• A great game down in Gainesville this past weekend.  Florida won over Auburn in a game many would call an upset.  I would kind of agree since up until this point the Tigers looked like a great team and Florida looked like a very overrated Top 10 team.  Instead the Gators gutted out a win and now their Cocktail Party game against Georgia could have massive implications.  As for the ol’ Gus Bus, it was a flat tire for sure.  The bus needs some work and wasn’t roadworthy on Saturday.  They have a fairly difficult rest of the schedule so games like that can’t be repeated if they are looking at a NY6 spot.
• Another kinda sorta upset type of thing on Friday night.  Cincinnati held on to beat UCF in front of a raucous home crowd.  For a while it looked like the Knights would pull away and get back to being in the New Year’s Six conversation.  Problem is, the Fighting Fickells wouldn’t go away.  If it wasn’t for UC’s defense (in the second half) and the running of Michael Warren II, the Bearcats probably wouldn’t have been close.  I was right with my pick so now I wonder if UCF can even get back into the NY6 talk.  I say no.
• How about that game down in south Florida?  Miami was way down to Virginia Tech, 28-7 going into the second half.  They came all the way back only to gack the game away in the end.  The ACC Coastal is a mess, let’s be honest.  Other than Virginia, no team seems to want to be on top.  So knowing how things are going, we can expect Pitt to somehow win the division.
• Speaking of Pitt, they almost allowed Duke to come back from down 23 points in the third quarter.  It felt like the Pittening was about to happen.  The Panthers were able to hold on as they continue to confound media pundits who can’t get a true read on this team.
• Louisville beat Boston College.  Seriously.  I watched none of it since I couldn’t find the ending of the damn game.  Louisville could be good again.  That seems shocking.  Also, I think the end of the line is coming for Mister Dudes Being Dudes, Steve Addazio.  The fanbase is fine with winning seven games every year and not coming close to contending for a division title.  But winning four games is unacceptable goddamit.
• Let history show that the Tennessee football Volunteers led Georgia 14-13 in a game in 2019. I know that UGA scored the last thirty points of the game but for a bit, the Vols were competitive.  It was nice to see.  Now we have to wonder if Jeremy Pruitt will survive to the next decade.  I’m skeptical.  Good ol’ Rocky Bottom.
• I thought Michigan State could keep it close.  I really did.  This Buckeyes team looks like it could be more dominant than any of Urban Meyer’s squads.  Justin Fields has pushed his way into the Heisman conversation and the whole offense just looks overwhelming.  I mean don’t get me wrong: I could probably coach this team to bowl eligibility.  But Ryan Day is doing something special in Columbus and it could lead to a spot in the College Football Playoff if things keep going this way.
• Texas kind of struggled with the Mountaineers of West Virginia.  Not a good look for the Longhorns that’s for sure.  Whether anyone can even approach the Sooners in the Big XII (they beat Kansas pretty thoroughly) is up in the air but it doesn’t look to be the case.  The Big XII has basically become Oklahoma and nine other teams.
• For a while, the Cal-Oregon game was resembling last year’s Cheez-It Bowl.  A hilariously poor showing of football in all facets.  I mean Oregon pulled it out in the end but geez they didn’t actually look that great.  The Pac-12 is a bit of a dumpster fire at this point.
• P.J. Fleck is Rowing That God Damn Boat in Minneapolis.  The Gophers are 5-0 and look like they will probably be 8-0 when they get into November.  I find it interesting that this team is STILL not in the Top 25 and are getting no CFP chatter.  This team could be one of the most underrated teams in recent memory and they may shock a few teams along the way.
• In yet another upset, Texas Tech PEW! PEW! PEWed their way over Oklahoma State.  It was a fun game that had no shortage of offense and shows that the Big XII mid-card is rather strong.
• What is Washington’s deal with Stanford?  They looked great last week against USC and then can’t do anything against an average Cardinal team.  It’s yet another nail in the Pac-12’s CFP coffin.  And it’s early October.  Good lord.
• Back to speaking about games that resembled the Cheez-It Bowl.  Michigan beat Iowa 10-3 in an absolute snoozer…unless you love punting.  If you love punting this was the game for you.  This was so awful to watch and really does not show either team in a good light going forward.  One of these teams is going to somehow end up in the New Year’s Six, I just know it.
• USF’s game against UConn was moved to Noon thanks to a mosquito-borne infection of sorts in the Hartford/Storrs area.  Only at UConn.  Anyway, it was supposed to be live on CBS Sports Network at 7:00 and instead went to the website with a tape delayed broadcast at 7.  How many people watched this rebroadcast?  Did it even hit triple digits?  They should have just ran a long version of their highlights show, Inside College Football.
• Finally, Tulane took down Army.  So now you have to include the Green Wave (of all teams) in the Group of Five conversation.  Who knows if they can actually crack the top tier but Willie Fritz has to be commended for taking what was mostly a woebegone program and has steered it in the right direction.

Not the most amazing weekend, not gonna lie.  We need a seriously crazy weekend of college football so even at 2 in the morning I am still wide awake because I can’t believe what has happened in the previous 14 hours.

Alright, let’s now look at the Bossman Top 25:

#1	Alabama
#2	Ohio State
#3	Georgia
#4	Florida
#5	Clemson
#6	LSU
#7	Notre Dame
#8	Oklahoma
#9	Wisconsin
#10	Penn State
#11	Texas
#12	Auburn
#13	Michigan
#14	Oregon
#15	Boise State
#16	Utah
#17	Virginia
#18	Iowa
#19	Arizona State
#20	Wake Forest
#21	Texas A&M
#22	SMU
#23	Baylor
#24	Missouri
#25	Minnesota

Yes there are some differences between my rankings and the AP Poll.  I have Ohio State at #2 and Clemson down at #5.  Clemson will definitely move up as at least one of the teams above them lose.  As for #6 through #9, pick the teams out of a hat to figure out the order.  A lot can happen the rest of the way and at this point, no one team is that much better than another.  Yes I have Minnesota at #25.  I know the AP Poll doesn’t have them in there but man they deserve to be there in my humble opinion.  Also, yes I have Missouri at #24.  It sounds like they won’t be bowling this year but still, they are playing well.  Of course this year, of all years, they are under sanctions.  Bad luck.

Hey guess what we have?  FUN BELT!  Yes, weekday Sun Belt action is back and it starts on Wednesday night.  8:00 but only on the specialty pack.  And it’s a big one.  Appalachian State and Louisiana.  I love weekday football.  Honestly, and I know I rail on the NFL being on Thursday but between late August and early January, the more football the better.  Have a good week everyone!

Most Important Games of the 2019 College Football Season – Part Tres

No pic.  Just straight Nostradamus-like scheduling action.  You know, if Nostradamus was right like 4% of the time.  Let’s just get on with this blog post shall we?  It’s the nitty-gritty part of conference play right here.  I would say the meat of the college football season sandwich but that is incorrect.  Let’s just say really good toppings like onions or jalapenos.  Here we go!

Week 8

Game of the Week: Michigan at Penn State (7:30, ABC) – Is it crazy to think we could have another instance of the Big Ten East coming into the season with four teams in the Top 15?  I say no.  Penn State and Michigan State are a step below Michigan which is a step below Ohio State but I can still foresee this being the case.  I mean one of these teams will surely drop like a stone (somewhat), right?

Other Really Important Games: LSU at Mississippi State (3:30, CBS) – Joe Moorhead has kept the Bulldogs going after the departure of Dan Mullen.  No easy task for sure.  I also like the fact he has lost a lot of weight doing intermittent fasting, something I have started doing myself.  Definitely gives me hope since it’s not easy.  As Moorhead put it when asked how he gets to the time when he can eat, “Water and hope.”  Don’t be surprised if Florida-South Carolina ends up here instead although a lot will have to do with how LSU and Florida are doing and not really the other two teams.

Ohio State at Northwestern (Friday, 8:30, FOX Sports One) – At one point, the rumour was that ABC would have air this one on a Friday night.  It would be ABC’s first Friday night college football telecast that wasn’t after American Thanksgiving in God knows how long.  And honestly it would have been warranted.  Instead, to the chagrin of college football fans in Canada, it will air on FOX Sports One.  Talk about a kick in the junk.

Oregon at Washington (7:30, FOX Sports One) – Fuck, two in a row?  OK let’s not get too pissed off here: this is just a guess remember.  So this game could end up on FOX for all we know.  Or it could end up on TSN.  We just don’t know.  Hell, I am still a bit worried about the ACC Network’s entry into the fray this season.

Florida at South Carolina (7:00, specialty pack) – This should be a competitive match.  Operative word being should be.  Florida is supposed to be seriously good so we will know by now whether the Gators are a Top 10 team with national championship aspirations or barely a Top 25 team who was overhyped and overrated.  At this point I have no TSN games this week.  It’s happened often before.  Not as much lately though so this may end up there.

Tennessee at Alabama (Noon, specialty pack) – OK this game…

West Virginia at Oklahoma (3:30, FOX) – …and this game…

Kentucky at Georgia (7:30, specialty pack) – …and this game are here for one reason.  The road teams are all pretty good teams; one coming off a seriously good season (especially for their program), one who should still be good but lost key parts (like their quarterback and head coach) and one who is on the precipice of getting back to some semblance of the glory days.  Problem is they are playing three of the best teams in college football.  The reason these games are here is because an upset, while not crazy, would seriously upset the college football apple cart.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: UCLA at Stanford (Thursday, 9:00, specialty pack) – Alright hear me out.  Stanford has been at least good for about, what, a decade now?  And they aren’t about to stop.  It will only take a matter of time for Chip Kelly to get the players he wants playing the system he wants and it may end up being a version of his Oregon teams all over again.  Or, and hear me out again, this could all blow up in my face and I look like a complete idiot.  Either or.

Best Group of Five Game: Boise State at BYU (10:30, specialty pack) – Nice to see BYU back in this spot and yes, I do consider BYU a Group of Five team despite their national championship in ’84 and the fact that most years they are a very competitive team, even with Power Five schools.  But in 2019, you really can’t make the argument that they should be considered a Power Five team.  Maybe in their own spot between the two groups but not a full-fledged member.

Worst Power Five Game: Oregon State at California (11:00, Pac-12 Network) – Wow that’s…..that’s pretty bad.

Week 9

Game of the Week: Notre Dame at Michigan (Noon, ABC/TSN1) – I have this game on ABC as of right now (and TSN1).  But I do wonder if FOX will try their best to get this game.  Considering their best game will usually be at Noon this season and this is one of the three Games of the Week it does make a lot of sense.  And no I am not being a Big Ten homer or Notre Dame homer by saying this.  These two programs bring in a lot of viewers and a lot of the time, that is the name of the game.

Other Really Important Games: Auburn at LSU (3:30, CBS) – Unless CBS wants to save one of these two teams for later in the season because of the cap on number of appearances (5 during the regular season) then there’s no way this isn’t the SEC Game of the Week on CBS…or the SECGOTWOCBS for those who love ridiculous acronyms.  And Auburn will be happy with all this since it means they avoid the dreaded Death Valley at night when things usually don’t go LSU’s opponent’s way.

Wisconsin at Ohio State (3:30, FOX) – This has already been earmarked for FOX.  I have it in the 3:30 timeslot but considering the importance this game may have, I can see it going on at Noon.  By this point we will know of Ryan Day is more of a Lincoln Riley who steps right in and doesn’t lose a step or if he is a tOSU version of Luke Fickell who just can’t get it right and struggles mightily.

Penn State at Michigan State (Noon, TSN3) – The Big Ten has a LOADED schedule this week.  Three of the top four games from one conference.  Unprecedented…I think.  Anyway, this is also a game that could end up on FOX although for now I see it being an ESPN game shown on TSN3 up here in the GWN (Great White North).  This could be an interesting 12-day hold for FOX and ABC/ESPN if the five aforementioned Big Ten teams are all really good at this point of the season.

Washington State at Oregon (3:30, specialty pack) – Reverse mirror fun!  I have this game pairing with UCF/Temple.  I give the AAC game the ABC spot since that is the one we would get in Ontario.  Go far enough west and that may change.  This should be quite the pew-pew kind of game.  And having Mike Leach coaching is always a fun time, no?  Just don’t ask Craig and Adam James.

Mississippi State at Texas A&M (7:00, specialty pack) – This will take a big back seat to the Auburn-LSU game but don’t be fooled:  this should be a damn good game.  I don’t know if you can say either of these teams are underrated or overlooked anymore though.  Neither of these programs can sneak up on anyone anymore.  And I have gotten used to the cowbells now.  Doesn’t faze me at all.  Now if a team starts a vuvuzela tradition then I won’t be too pleased.

Texas at TCU (7:30, ABC/TSN2) – Another time where ABC’s primetime game isn’t near the top of the list.  This happens sometimes because ABC has contracts with the Big Ten, ACC, Big XII and Pac-12 and all of them have to have at least 2 games (if I am not mistaken) on in primetime.  Normally the Big Ten gets the rest of the primetime affairs unless a really juicy matchup from another conference falls in their lap.  I am wondering if I should have some brisket in honour of this matchup.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Syracuse at Florida State (7:30, specialty pack) – Alright this is great and….of course it goes to the ACC Network.  At least we get this right?  I am crossing my fingers that Rogers and Bell don’t fuck this up.

Best Group of Five Game: UCF at Temple (3:30, ABC) – The other half of one of the better reverse mirrors in recent memory.  I assume that if this comes to fruition that this is the game we would get in the eastern part of the country.  Temple has to break in a new coach this season.  It was supposed to be Manny Diaz and then 17 days later he bolted back to Miami for what he considered his dream job.  So coaches can leave on a whim yet players have to sit out a year unless they are graduate students.  Yeah makes perfect sense, right?  Anyway, they ended up poaching Rod Carey from Northern Illinois so they weren’t fully left out in the dust.  Carey had been one of the better MAC coaches in his time there.

Worst Power Five Game: Texas Tech at Kansas (3:00, FOX Sports One) – This was the exact same matchup last year in this spot (although last year it was Week 8, not Week 9).  I can’t see either team being any good so this is an easy choice.  I feel good for them though since they were upgraded from FS2 to FS1.  Progress!

Week 10

Game of the Week: Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville) (3:30, CBS) – It’s Cocktail Party time!  For the first time, really, in quite a while, this could be a matchup between two Top 10 teams with national championship aspirations.  Which is good since otherwise the results are all over the place and completely wacky and having nothing to do with the rankings of the teams coming in.  So get whatever booze you like ready and have a couple while watching this one.  Should be fun!

Other Really Important Games: Virginia Tech at Notre Dame (2:30, NBC) – NBC going with the weird 2:30 start times again.  Just have to hope that both teams are as good as many experts feel they will be.  Otherwise this should fall way down the list.  So Brian Kelly and Justin Fuente: don’t make me regret putting you this high up on the list!

Utah at Washington (3:45, specialty pack) – This is the time they used last year for the late afternoon start on ESPN.  I am just assuming it will be the same this year.  Another matchup between the two best coaches in the Pac-12 not named David Shaw.  One team might partially derail the other team’s season…this is what I would say if the Pac-12 wasn’t a God damn minefield to begin with.  I wouldn’t be shocked to see no one come out of the regular season in this conference unscathed yet again.

Oregon at USC (7:30, FOX) – Again, I don’t have the answer to who gets first selection on which weeks between FOX and ABC.  This goes up against the final game on this list so it’s not like one game is much better than the other (at this point).  This might just come down to numbers: as in the number of times each conference gets games on ABC and FOX.  So get out your slide rule (that was even before my time) or abacus (also before my time) and you can too can figure out all the weird intricacies of the college football broadcasting schedules.

TCU at Oklahoma State (3:30, ABC) – The Gary vs. The Mullet.  Should be good.  We hope.  This should be a great Big XII matchup between two often overlooked teams because the Big XII has OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS and eight other teams (according to many people).  Two great head coaches and maybe a pew-pew-pew offensive outburst?  I’m game for some normal Big XII action!

Miami at Florida State (7:30, ABC) – How many times will Wide Right be mentioned?  Over/under set at 4.5.  I get it.  It was a huge deal.  But it was three decades ago.  And these teams play each other every year.  So move on to something else.  Anything.  I am sure Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit can think of something.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: West Virginia at Baylor (Thursday, 8:00, specialty pack) – Now this….this should be a game where the over/under is at about 90 and you still think of taking the over.  I hope they shoot the lights out since that’s what the Big XII is for right?

Best Group of Five Game: Houston at UCF (7:00, specialty pack) – I was tempted to include this in the Other Important Games of the Week section.  This game could be that good and it wouldn’t surprise me if it somehow ended up on ABC considering this is one of the worst weeks of the college football season.  This game might stand out as well if both teams come in undefeated.

Worst Power Five Game: Kansas State at Kansas (Noon, specialty pack) – If this was a really good slate of games, this game would be on FS1 or ESPNU at best.  Instead I have this as the ESPN game at Noon.  The Sunflower Showdown has also been relegated to one of the least important rivalries in Power Five football.  Kansas hasn’t been good for a decade and who knows what the Wildcats will be like without Bill Snyder.  Chris Klieman was a genius at North Dakota State so maybe he can pull something off and get a buzz going in the Little Apple once again.  Until then, this is the spot you get.

So this section had a couple of amazing weeks and a not-so-good week.  But it’s still college football dammit so I will watch.  And when I finally move to IPTV it will get seriously out of hand.  If I somehow have access to ESPN3 or ESPN+ it’s over for me.  I might as well shut down my phone and tell my kids to head to their mom’s for the day at that point.

I gotta get on buying those preview mags!  They have to be in stores already, no?  If so, I will buy one and that will start me on my college football reading for the next three months.  At least the Phil Steele one is ordered.  Hopefully I get it before July.  Otherwise it will be too late to find out who the complete liability is on the UTEP offensive line.  College football can’t come quick enough but these magazines surely keep me occupied for much of the summer.

The CFL starts next week.  I will definitely watch some of it until late August when it’s COLLEJ FOOTBAW time.  I should really get to another game to be honest with you.  Especially now with tailgating being “legal” it might be more fun.  Either that or there will be more drunk people around the stadiums before games.  I am fine with this as long as I remind myself to look down and dodge the random piles of puke every 50 metres.  Enjoy the rest of the week everyone and I will get the final post in this series up as soon as I can.

Week 10 College Football TV Schedule – Sponsored by that Committee thingy with their little fun poll

Man, if you are a college football fan you would have to have been living under ten miles of rock to not know that the FIRST COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF POOL WOULD BE OUT TUESDAY!!!!  I’m surprised among the ten thousand times that it was mentioned this past Saturday that it wasn’t screamed at by someone.  Then again, GUS JOHNSON! doesn’t work for ESPN so that could be the reason.

So now that the first CFP poll is out of the way, people can start bitching about it like they did with the BCS.  All we need is a little controversy and it feels like this season is rushing full-on into a controversy freight train.  Too many possible teams for the final four, especially if Mississippi State and Florida State both lose at some point during the regular season.  Then it will be chaos.  Again, I wouldn’t want to be a member of The Committee.  Maybe next year when the heat dies down and a few of them quit.

Week 10 in college football is upon us.  After this week we will be done two-thirds of the regular season.  The home stretch really starts next week.  Put up or shut up time.  And other college football-related euphemisms that I assume someone at ESPN has already figured out and is just waiting for an on-air personality to use.  Oh, and if Bryn Renner on camera didn’t warn every network that shows college football that the person you put on the air has to be able to, you know, do his or her job, then nothing will at this point.  I’m just glad we haven’t gone back to Craig James in any capacity.  Talk about unbearable (and his book was a piece of shit as well on the level of Warren Sapp’s 300-some odd page tome about how awesome he is, in his own words of course).  Here’s the cable schedule to start you off:

Florida State at Louisville (Thu)	7:30 PM	TSN4
St. Joseph’s-IN at Indianapolis (Thu)	8:00 PM	CBSSN
Air Force at Army	11:30 AM	CBS
Rice at FIU	12:00 PM	WNYO
Northwestern at Iowa	12:00 PM	BTN
UCF at Connecticut	12:00 PM	CBSSN
Wisconsin at Rutgers	12:00 PM	TSN3
Boston College at Virginia Tech	12:30 PM	WSBK
Purdue at Nebraska	3:30 PM	ABC
William & Mary at James Madison	3:30 PM	WNYO
Indiana at Michigan	3:30 PM	BTN
Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)	3:30 PM	CBS
BYU at Middle Tennessee	3:30 PM	CBSSN
UAB at Florida Atlantic	7:00 PM	WNYO
Colorado State at San Jose State	7:00 PM	CBSSN
Stanford at Oregon	7:30 PM	FOX
Navy vs. Notre Dame (in Landover)	8:00 PM	CBS
Illinois at Ohio State	8:00 PM	ABC
San Diego State at Nevada	10:30 PM	CBSSN

Nothing really stands out other than FSU-UL on Thursday night and the FOX game between Stanford and Oregon, although that game may mean a bit less now than we thought it would have earlier in the season.  I think the most intriguing thing this Saturday may be the first tripleheader on CBS in three years.  It’s just too bad that all three games lack the oomph of a huge college football affair, although I always enjoy watching service academy football; just has a different flair to it than other college football games.  Update: Interesting tidbit now that coverage maps are out.  People who receive ABC out of Detroit will get the Purdue-Minnesota game; however, if you receive ABC out of Buffalo then you get the TCU-West Virginia game with PU-MU relegated to the specialty pack.  Now on to the specialty pack sked:

Troy at Georgia Southern (Thu)	7:30 PM
Cinncinati at Tulane (Fri)	8:00 PM
Tulsa at Memphis (Fri)	8:00 PM
Maryland at Penn State	12:00 PM
Wisconsin at Rutgers	12:00 PM
Duke at Pittsburgh (Bell – SD only)	12:00 PM
ULM at Texas A&M (Bell only)	12:00 PM
Boston College at Virginia Tech (SD only)	12:30 PM
North Carolina at Miami (SD only)	12:30 PM
NC State at Syracuse (SD only)	3:00 PM
Purdue at Nebraska	3:30 PM
Virginia at Georgia Tech	3:30 PM
Kentucky at Missouri (Bell only)	4:00 PM
Auburn at Ole Miss	7:00 PM
Old Dominion at Vanderbilt (Bell – SD only)	7:00 PM
Arkansas at Mississippi State	7:00 PM
Tennessee at South Carolina (Bell – SD only)	7:30 PM
Oklahoma State at Kansas State (SD only)	8:00 PM
Arizona at UCLA	10:30 PM
Wyoming at Fresno State	10:45 PM

As of this morning, four games weren’t appearing on the guide that should appear sometime in the next couple days.  They are denoted by asterisks in the previous schedule.  Two games really stand out as TCU-West Virginia goes to the specialty pack (as the reverse mirror to the Purdue-Nebraska shitfest that we will get on ABC) as well as Auburn-Ole Miss which is the ESPN Saturday primetime game of the week.  I always despise the reverse mirror because usually this area ends up with the crappy middle-of-the-road Big Ten matchup, while others receive a huge matchup from pretty much any other Power Five conference (since this is Big Ten country you know…I try not to remind myself of this point).  Update: So I see that people who receive ABC out of Detroit will not get TCU-West Virginia at all since the specialty packs, as far as I can tell, are showing Purdue-Nebraska for some reason, despite the fact we already get it on ABC.  That might change tomorrow morning but as of right now (Friday night) it is showing PU-NU.  Kind of ridiculous if you ask me.  Also, looks like the specialty pack is picking up the odd primetime reverse mirror game out in Manhattan between Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

As the rest of the week goes along, I will make sure to update the schedule when need be.  Ideally I’d love to put the channel listings in for the specialty packs but both Rogers and Bell don’t exactly make that easy to do, waiting until the very last minute much of the time to put up their finalized schedules.  I have said in the past and I’ll say it again; everything is set up days in advance.  You have channels that are just for college football.  To put together a schedule should take no more than 15 minutes.  I know there’s probably a bit more involved in it but it makes no sense otherwise.  Make one channel the ESPN one, one for ESPN2, one for ESPNU, and one for SEC Network.  Then one can be for others (like the ACC Network alternate games).  Then it becomes easy.  Not the shitshow we sometimes see every week.

Tomorrow I will have the NFL schedule up.  Don’t worry, no morning games for the rest of the season although I guess we can expect that from now on every year.